Gulu: Week 1

It’s been hard to find time to blog, so I’m afraid I’m falling behind. I’m currently enjoying a breeze blowing through my room at a hotel in Gulu. We arrived last Tuesday, after an unfortunate mechanical failure that claimed our rented vehicle about 2 hours outside of Kampala. We had to stay the night in a little old place called Miygera while we waited for the car to be fixed. It was actually quite comfortable and the whole community was really friendly. We spent the evening playing cards with a 14 year old we’d befriended.

It’s an understatement to say it’s great to be back in Gulu. Everyone is so friendly here compared to the hustle and bustle of Kampala. On Tuesday shortly after we arrived, the town experienced hours of torrential downpours (something I haven’t ever seen here) and we decided to stay close to the hotel. It cooled the temperature down quite a bit and stayed that way for the first 2 days we were here.

On Wednesday, we went early to the school in which we’re doing our study and did some preliminary planning with the teacher coordinating the details. The head teacher was away, so we met with his second-in-command, the Deputy and he gave us the go-ahead to begin our program. That afternoon, we spent hours preparing for the study. We’re focusing solely on the traumatic experiences related to their abductions and the time they spent in the bush with the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and how art and/or art therapy can reduce that trauma.

For three days, including 6 straight hours on Saturday, Lily and I had our introductory meeting with the students. We had to ask point-blank questions, and it was really tough. I have read so much about the brutality of child soldiering, especially in northern Uganda at the hands of the LRA, but never before had I heard these accounts firsthand and seen the resulting trauma that it caused the survivors.

After that long string of days, we took a break yesterday and sat by the pool at Acholi Inn for 7 hours, baking in the beautiful Ugandan sun. I hadn’t ever gone to the pool in Gulu before, and it was quite a treat. I finished a whole Danielle Steel (hey, everyone needs their mindless reads, especially in circumstances like these) in one day. After leaving Acholi Inn, we enjoyed a refreshing steak sandwich at Kope Café and leisurely read some more.

This morning I was anxious to get the day started because this afternoon marked the beginning of the art education portion of our study. Lanie, Lily, and I are running that group’s activities for the next three weeks. We have so many exciting activities planned including photography, painting, printmaking, tie-dye, cartooning, Acholi folktale performance, breakdancing, and songwriting with some local musicians.

Before that, I stopped by the tailoring shop where I’ve had all of my African clothing made over the last two years and visited with Nancy and Filder. Filder has a 9-month-old little boy named Ronny, and I tried to run out of the shop with him. He’s a doll. They gave me a hard time that I haven’t learned more Luo in the last two years, and I think I’m going to take a notebook and my Luo-English dictionary over there a few times a week to sit in on some lessons. I hung out with artist Jeff Korondo some and paid my respects to Country Bakery, where I bought delicious banana bread.

At 3pm, we headed out to the school and began Day 1 of art lessons, and they all seemed pretty enthusiastic to get creative. We decorated nametags today and the students asked us questions about our lives in the U.S. and what America is really like. I think they were disappointed that we don’t cross paths with movie stars and Shaggy (reggae/hip-hop artist) on a regular basis. The girls decided on their way out that they like Lily the most because she’d be most useful…she knows how to dig and plant crops. They do have a point… Hah.

Tonight we enjoyed delicious Indian food on the roof of one of Gulu’s tallest buildings. All in all, it was a great end to a great day. And a great start to this summer here in Uganda.

PS- I have my own phone here. If you want to text or call or Skype/Rebtel me, just dial +256 783 300 103. I’d love to hear from you!

PPS- I bought two plants in town the other day. For those of you privileged enough to have had my plants left with you over the years, you’ll be pleased to know I’m keeping the tradition up in Uganda now. For the next two months I’ll be secretly (as in, they don’t know it’s what I’m doing) interviewing potential new plant parents that I can entrust these two beauties with once I’m gone. While here, I have the two plants out on my balcony (yes, BALCONY[!!]) now and they’re lovely.